Process sheet resistance uniformity improvement using multiple melt laser exposures

ABSTRACT

Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods of thermal processing. More specifically, apparatus and methods described herein relate to laser thermal treatment of semiconductor substrates by increasing the uniformity of energy distribution in an image at a surface of a substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional patent applicationNo. 61/776,380, filed Mar. 11, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods of thermalprocessing. More specifically, apparatus and methods described hereinrelate to laser thermal treatment of semiconductor substrates.

2. Description of the Related Art

Thermal processing is commonly practiced in the semiconductor industry.Semiconductor substrates are subjected to thermal processing in thecontext of many transformations, including doping, activation, andannealing of gate source, drain, and channel structures, siliciding,crystallization, oxidation, and the like. Over the years, techniques ofthermal processing have progressed from simple furnace baking, tovarious forms of increasingly rapid thermal processing such as RTP,spike annealing, and laser annealing.

Conventional laser annealing processes use laser emitters that may besemiconductor or solid state lasers with optics that focus, defocus, orvariously image the laser light into a desired shape. A common approachis to image the laser light into a line or thin rectangle image. Thelaser light is scanned across a substrate (or the substrate movedbeneath the laser light) to process the entire surface of the substrate.

As device geometry continues to decline, semiconductor manufacturingprocesses such as thermal processing are challenged to develop increasedprecision. In many instances, pulsed laser processes are being exploredto reduce overall thermal budget and reduce depth and duration of energyexposure at the substrate. Challenges remain, however, in creating laserpulses having a temporal shape that affords the desired processingperformance, with the uniformity needed for uniform processing acrossthe surface of a substrate. Thus, there is a continuing need for newapparatus and methods for thermal processing of semiconductorsubstrates.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods of thermalprocessing. More specifically, apparatus and methods described hereinrelate to laser thermal treatment of semiconductor substrates byincreasing the uniformity of energy distribution in an image at asurface of a substrate.

In one embodiment, a method of thermally processing a substrate isprovided. The method comprises positioning a substrate at a firstposition, identifying a treatment zone of the substrate, and directing afirst pulse of annealing energy through an aperture at a second positionto the treatment zone. The substrate is moved to a third positiondifferent from the first position and the aperture is moved to a fourthposition different from the second position. A second pulse of annealingenergy is directed through the aperture at the fourth position to thetreatment zone.

In another embodiment, a thermal processing apparatus is provided. Theapparatus comprises a laser source and an aperture member disposedwithin a focal plane of the energy emitted from the laser source. Theaperture member comprises a first member which is substantiallytransparent to the energy emitted from the laser source and a secondmember which is substantially non-transmissive to the energy emittedfrom the laser source. The second member is disposed within the firstmember substantially at the focal plane and a third member is coupled tothe first member and the second member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentinvention can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a thermal processing apparatusaccording to one embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan views of pulse controllers according to twoembodiments.

FIGS. 2C-2E are schematic views of different configurations of pulsecontrollers and energy sources according to three embodiments.

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of a pulse shaper according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 3B and 3C are graphs showing pulse timing and pulse energy profileusing the pulse shaper of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3D is a schematic view of the pulse shaper of FIG. 3A according toanother embodiment.

FIGS. 3E and 3F are graphs showing pulse timing and pulse energy profileusing the pulse shaper of FIG. 3D.

FIG. 3G is a schematic view of a pulse shaper according to anotherembodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views of homogenizers according to twoembodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views of aperture members according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an imaging system according to anotherembodiment.

FIG. 7A is a schematic drawing of an energy field with an aperturemember capturing a portion of an energy field.

FIG. 7B is a schematic depicting a relationship of movement between anaperture member and a substrate support.

FIG. 8 depicts method steps of thermally processing a substrate.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a system 100 for laser processing ofsubstrates. The system 100 comprises an energy module 102 that has aplurality of pulsed laser sources producing a plurality of laser pulses,a pulse control module 104 that combines individual laser pulses intocombination laser pulses, and that controls intensity, frequencycharacteristics, and polarity characteristics of the combination laserpulses, a pulse shaping module 106 that adjusts the temporal profile ofthe pulses of the combined laser pulses, a homogenizer 108 that adjuststhe spatial energy distribution of the pulses, overlapping thecombination laser pulses into a single uniform energy field, an aperturemember 116 that removes residual edge non-uniformity from the energyfield, and an alignment module 118 that allows precision alignment ofthe laser energy field with a substrate disposed on a substrate support110. A controller 112 is coupled to the energy module 102 to controlproduction of the laser pulses, the pulse control module 104 to controlpulse characteristics, and the substrate support 110 to control movementof the substrate with respect to the energy field. An enclosure 114typically encloses the operative components of the system 100.

The lasers may be any type of laser capable of forming short pulses, forexample duration less than about 100 nsec., of high power laserradiation. Typically, high modality lasers having over 500 spatial modeswith M² greater than about 30 are used. Solid state lasers such asNd:YAG, Nd:glass, titanium-sapphire, or other rare earth doped crystallasers are frequently used, but gas lasers such as excimer lasers, forexample XeCl₂, ArF, or KrF lasers, may be used. The lasers may beswitched, for example by q-switching (passive or active), gainswitching, or mode locking. A Pockels cell may also be used proximatethe output of a laser to form pulses by interrupting a beam emitted bythe laser. In general, lasers usable for pulsed laser processing arecapable of producing pulses of laser radiation having energy contentbetween about 100 mJ and about 10 J with duration between about 1 nsecand about 100 μsec, typically about 1 J in about 8 nsec. The lasers mayhave wavelength between about 200 nm and about 2,000 nm, such as betweenabout 400 nm and about 1,000 nm, for example about 532 nm. In oneembodiment, the lasers are q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers.The lasers may all operate at the same wavelength, or one or more of thelasers may operate at different wavelengths from the other lasers in theenergy module 102. The lasers may be amplified to develop the powerlevels desired. In most cases, the amplification medium will be the sameor similar composition to the lasing medium. Each individual laser pulseis usually amplified by itself, but in some embodiments, all laserpulses may be amplified after combining.

A typical laser pulse delivered to a substrate is a combination ofmultiple laser pulses. The multiple pulses are generated at controlledtimes and in controlled relationship to each other such that, whencombined, a single pulse of laser radiation results that has acontrolled temporal and spatial energy profile, with a controlled energyrise, duration, and decay, and a controlled spatial distribution ofenergy non-uniformity. The controller 112 may have a pulse generator,for example an electronic timer coupled to a voltage source, that iscoupled to each laser, for example each switch of each laser, to controlgeneration of pulses from each laser.

The plurality of lasers are arranged so that each laser produces pulsesthat emerge into the pulse control module 104, which may have one ormore pulse controllers 105. FIG. 2A is a plan view of a pulse controller200A according to one embodiment. The one or more pulse controllers 105described above in connection with FIG. 1 may each be a pulse controllersuch as the pulse controller 200A shown in FIG. 2A. Using opticscontained in an enclosure 299 to prevent light pollution, the pulsecontroller 200A combines a first input pulse 224A received from theenergy module 102 and a second input pulse 224B received from the energymodule 102 into one output laser pulse 238. The two input laser pulses224A/B enter the pulse controller 200A through input lenses 202A and202B disposed in openings of the enclosure 299. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2A, the two input lenses 202A/B are aligned along one surface ofthe enclosure 299, with the laser pulses 224/A/B entering the enclosure299 in a substantially parallel orientation.

The two input pulses 224A/B are directed to a combining optic 208 thatcombines the two pulses into one pulse 238. The combining optic has afirst entry surface 207A oriented perpendicular to the entry path of theincident pulse 226A and a second entry surface 207B orientedperpendicular to the entry path of the incident pulse 226B to avoid anyrefraction of the input pulses 226A/B upon entering the combining optic208. The combining optic 208 of FIG. 2A is a crystal that has aselecting surface 209 oriented such that first and second incidentpulses 226A/B each strike the selecting surface 209 at an angle ofapproximately 45°. The selecting surface 209 interacts with lightselectively depending on the properties of the light. The selectingsurface 209 of the combining optic 208 may reflect the first incidentpulse 226A and transmit the second incident pulse to create the combinedpulse 228. To facilitate combination of the pulses, each of the incidentpulses 226A/B may be tailored to interact with the selecting surface 209in a particular way.

In one embodiment, the selecting surface 209 is a polarizing surface.The polarizing surface may have a linear axis of polarity, such thatpolarizing the incident pulse 226B parallel to the axis of thepolarizing surface allows the incident pulse 226B to be transmitted bythe polarizing surface, and polarizing the incident pulse 226Aperpendicular to the axis of the polarizing surface allows the incidentpulse 226A to be reflected by the polarizing surface. Aligning the twoincident pulses 226A/B to the same spot on the polarizing surfacecreates the combined pulse 228 emerging from a first exit surface 207Cof the combining optic 208 perpendicular to the surface 207C to avoidany refraction of the combined pulse 228. Alternately, the selectingsurface 209 may be a circular polarizer, with the incident pulse 226Acircularly polarized opposite the sense of the circular polarizer forreflection, and the incident pulse 226B circularly polarized in the samesense as the circular polarizer for transmission. In another embodiment,the incident pulses 226A/B may have different wavelengths, and theselecting surface 209 may be configured to reflect light of onewavelength and to transmit light of another wavelength, such as with adielectric mirror.

In a polarization embodiment, polarization of the incident pulses 226A/Bis accomplished using polarizing filters 206A/B. The polarizing filters206A/B polarize the input pulses 224A/B to be selectively reflected ortransmitted by the selecting surface 209 of the combining optic 208. Thepolarizing filters 206A/B may be wave plates, for example half-waveplates or quarter-wave plates, with polarizing axes oriented orthogonalto each other to produce the orthogonally polarized light for selectivereflecting and transmission at the selecting surface 209. The axis ofeach polarizing filter 206A/B may be independently adjusted, for examplewith rotational actuators 205A/B, to precisely align the polarization ofthe incident pulses 226A/B with the polarization axis of the selectingsurface 209, or to provide a desired angle of deviation between thepolarization axis of an input pulse 226A/B and the polarization axis ofthe selecting surface 209.

Adjusting the polarization axis of the incident pulses 226A/B controlsintensity of the combined pulse 228, because a polarizing filtertransmits incident light according to Malus' Law, which holds that theintensity of light transmitted by a polarizing filter is proportional tothe incident intensity and the square of the cosine of the angle betweenpolarization axis of the filter and polarization axis of the incidentlight. Thus, rotating the polarizing filter 206A so that thepolarization axis of the polarizing filter 206A deviates from anorientation perpendicular to the polarization axis of the selectingsurface 209 results in a portion of the incident pulse 226A beingtransmitted through the selecting surface 209. Likewise, rotating thepolarizing filter 206B so that its polarization axis deviates from anorientation parallel to the axis of the selecting surface 209 results ina portion of the incident pulse 226B being reflected from the selectingsurface 209. This “non-selected” light from each of the incident pulses226A/B is combined into a rejected pulse 230 that exits the combiningoptic 208 through a second exit surface 207D into a pulse dump 210. Inthis way, each of the polarizing filters acts as a dimmer switch toattenuate the intensity of pulses passing through the polarizingfilters.

It should be noted that the two pulses 226A/B that are to be combined bythe combining optic 208 are directed toward opposite sides of theselecting surface 209 for selective reflection and transmission. Thus,the first input pulse 202A is directed along a path that brings thefirst input pulse 202A toward a reflecting side of the selecting surface209 by a reflector 204, while the second input pulse 202B is directedtoward transmitting side of the selecting surface 209. Any combinationof reflectors may naturally be used to steer light along a desired pathwithin the pulse control module 104.

The combined pulse 228 interacts with a first splitter 212 that splitsthe combined pulse 228 into the output pulse 238 and a sampled pulse232. The splitter 212 may be a partial mirror or a pulse splitter. Thesampled pulse 232 is directed to a diagnostic module 233 that analyzesproperties of the sampled pulse 232 to represent properties of theoutput pulse 238. In the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the diagnostic module233 has two detectors 216 and 218 that detect the temporal shape of apulse and the total energy content of a pulse, respectively. A secondsplitter 214 forms a first pulse 236 and a second pulse 234 for input tothe respective detectors. The temporal shape detector 216 is anintensity monitor that signals intensity of light incident on themonitor in very short time scales. Light pulses incident on the temporalshape detector may have total duration from 1 picosecond (psec) to 100nsec, so the temporal shape detector, which may be a photodiode orphotodiode array, renders intensity signals at useful subdivisions ofthese time scales. The energy detector 218 may be a pyroelectric device,such as a thermocouple, that converts incident electromagnetic radiationto voltage that can be measured to indicate the energy content of theenergy sample pulse 234. Because the first and second splitters 212 and214 sample a known fraction of incident light based on the transmittingfraction of the first and second splitters 212 and 214, the energycontent of the output pulse 238 may be calculated from the energycontent of the energy sample pulse 234.

Signals from the diagnostic module 233 may be routed to the controller112 of FIG. 1, which may adjust the laser operation or the pulse controloperation to achieve desired results. The controller 112 may adjust anelectronic timer coupled to an active q-switch of each laser to controlpulse timing in response to results from the temporal shape detector216. Cycling the active q-switch faster makes shorter pulses, and viceversa. The controller 112 may be coupled to the rotational actuators205A/B to adjust the intensity of the output pulse 238, based on resultsfrom the energy detector 218, by adjusting the polarization angle oflight passing through the polarizing filters 206A/B. In this way, theduration and energy content of the output pulse 238 may be independentlycontrolled. The controller 112 may also be configured to adjust powerinput to each laser.

The output pulse 238 may be interrupted by a shutter 220, if desired.The shutter 220 (shown schematically in FIGS. 2A and 2B) may be providedas a safety device in the event the laser energy emerging from the pulsecontrol module 104 is to be interrupted to make an adjustment to acomponent subsequent to the pulse control module 104. The output pulse238 exits the pulse control module 104 through an output lens 222.

The output pulse 238 is a combination of the two incident pulses 226A/B.As such the output pulse 238 has properties that represent a combinationof the properties of the two incident pulses 226A/B. In the polarizationexample described above, the output pulse 238 may have an ellipticalpolarization representing the combination of two orthogonally polarizedincident pulses 226A/B having different intensities according to thedegree of transmission/reflection of each of the incident pulses 226A/Bat the selecting surface 209. In an example using incident wavelength atthe selecting surface 209 to combine two pulses, the output pulse 238will have a wavelength representing the combined wavelength of the twoincident pulses 226A/B according to their respective intensities.

For example, a 1,064 nm reflecting dielectric mirror may be disposed atthe selecting surface 209 of the combining optic 208. The incident pulse226A may have wavelength of approximately 1,064 nm with intensity A forreflecting from the selecting surface 209, and the incident pulse 226Bmay have a wavelength of 532 nm with intensity B for transmittingthrough the selecting surface 209. The combined pulse 228 will be aco-propagating bi-pulse of two photons having the wavelengths andintensities of the incident pulses 226A/B, with total energy contentthat is the sum of the two pulse energies.

FIG. 2B is a plan view of a pulse control module 200B according toanother embodiment. The one or more pulse controllers 105 describedabove in connection with FIG. 1 may each be a pulse controller such asthe pulse controller 200B or the pulse controller 200A. The pulsecontroller 200B is the same as the pulse controller 200A, with thefollowing differences. In the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the input lens 202Ais not located adjacent to the input lens 202B on the same surface ofthe enclosure 299. In FIG. 2B, the input lens 202A is located on asurface of the enclosure 299 that is substantially orthogonal to thesurface on which the input lens 202B is located, in this embodiment onan adjacent wall of a rectangular enclosure. Thus, the first input pulse224A enters through the first input lens 202A (in a direction into thepage of FIG. 2B) and is diverted into the plane of FIG. 2B by areflector that is obscured by the first input lens 202 a in the view ofFIG. 2B. Reflectors 240 and 242 position the input pulse 224B for entryinto the polarizer 206B, illustrating the use of reflectors to positionpulses on any desired path. Steering pulses around the pulse controlmodule 104 may be helpful in cases where locating the laser energysources is space constrained.

FIGS. 2C and 2D are schematic views showing embodiments that havemultiple pulse controllers 200A/B. In the embodiment of FIG. 2C, twopulse controllers of the configuration of the pulse controller 200A ofFIG. 2A are aligned with four laser sources 102A-D to form two combinedpulses 238. In the embodiment of FIG. 2D, two combined pulses 238 areformed having a desired distance “d” between them. Two pulse controllers200C/D accept input pulses from two energy sources 102A and 102C alongthe plane of FIG. 2D and perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2D from twoenergy sources not visible in the view of FIG. 2D. The two pulsecontrollers 200C/D are the same as the pulse controller 200B, with thefollowing differences. The pulse controller 200D is configured to directan output pulse 244 through an output lens 246 using an output reflector254. The output lens 246 directs the output pulse 244 into an input lens248 of the pulse controller 200C to a reflector 250 and an output lens252 of the pulse controller 200C. In this way, the two output pulses 238may be positioned any desired distance “d” from each other on exitingthe pulse control module 104 (FIG. 1). For most embodiments, thedistance “d” will be between about 1 mm and about 1,000 mm, such as lessthan 50 mm, for example about 35 mm. As shown in FIG. 2D, the distance“d” may be less than a dimension of the pulse controller 200C.

FIG. 2E is a schematic top view of the apparatus of FIG. 2D, showing anembodiment wherein the energy sources 102 are configured in aright-angle relationship. The energy sources 102B/D visible in FIG. 2Ewere not visible in the view of FIG. 2D. The energy sources 102A/Bproduce input pulses 224A/B for processing in pulse controller 200C,while the energy sources 102C/D produce input pulses 224C/D forprocessing in pulse controller 200D. The output pulses of the pulsecontrollers 200C/D are arranged as shown in FIG. 2D separated by adesired distance “d”, which is not visible in the view of FIG. 2E. Itshould be noted that the pulse controllers 200A-200D may be pulsecombiners in some embodiments.

One or more pulses exit the pulse control module 104 and enter the pulseshaping module 106, which has one or more pulse shapers 107, as shownschematically in FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of oneembodiment of a pulse shaper 306. The one or more pulse shapers 107 ofthe pulse shaping module 106 may each be a pulse shaper such as thepulse shaper 306. The pulse shaper of FIG. 3A may comprise a pluralityof mirrors 352 (e.g., 16 mirrors are shown) and a plurality of splitters(e.g., reference numerals 350A-350E) that are used to delay portions ofa laser energy pulse to provide a composite pulse that has a desirablecharacteristics (e.g., pulse width and profile). In one example, a laserenergy pulse 302 entering the pulse shaping module may be spatiallycoherent. A pulse of laser energy is split into two components, orsub-pulses 354A, 354B, after passing through the first splitter 350A.Neglecting losses in the various optical components, depending on thetransmission to reflection ratio in the first splitter 350A, apercentage of the laser energy (i.e., X %) is transferred to the secondsplitter 350B in the first sub-pulse 354A, and a percentage of theenergy (i.e., 1−X %) of the second sub-pulse 354B follows a path A-Esegments A-E) as it is reflected by multiple mirrors 352 before itstrikes the second splitter 350B.

In one example, the transmission to reflection ratio of the firstsplitter 350A is selected so that 70% of the pulse's energy is reflectedand 30% is transmitted through the splitter. In another example thetransmission to reflection ratio of the first splitter 350A is selectedso that 50% of the pulse's energy is reflected and 50% is transmittedthrough the splitter. The length of the path A-E, or sum of the lengthsof the segments A-E (i.e., total length=A+B+C+D+E as illustrated in FIG.3A), will control the delay between sub-pulse 354A and sub-pulse 354B.In general by adjusting the difference in path length between the firstsub-pulse 354A and the second sub-pulse 354B a delay of about 3.1nanoseconds (ns) per meter of path length difference can be realized.

The energy delivered to the second pulse 350B in the first sub-pulse354A is split into a second sub-pulse 356A that is directly transmittedto the third splitter 350C and a second sub-pulse 356B that follows thepath F-J before it strikes the third splitter 350C. The energy deliveredin the second sub-pulse 354B is also split into a third sub-pulse 358Athat is directly transmitted to the third splitter 350C and a thirdsub-pulse 358B that follows the path F-J before it strikes the thirdsplitter 350C. This process of splitting and delaying each of thesub-pulses continues as each of the sub-pulses strikes subsequentsplitters (i.e., reference numerals 350D-E) and mirrors 352 until theyare all recombined in the final splitter 350E that is adapted toprimarily deliver energy to the next component in the thermal processingapparatus 100. The final splitter 350E may be a polarizing splitter thatadjusts the polarization of the energy in the sub-pulses received fromthe delaying regions or from the prior splitter so that it can bedirected in a desired direction.

In one embodiment, a waveplate 364 is positioned before a polarizingtype of final splitter 350E so that its polarization can be rotated forthe sub-pulses following path 360. Without the adjustment to thepolarization, a portion of the energy will be reflected by the finalpulse splitter and not get recombined with the other branch. In oneexample, all energy in the pulse shaper 306 is S-polarized, and thus thenon-polarizing cube splitters divide incoming pulses, but the finalsplitter, which is a polarizing cube, combines the energy that itreceives. The energy in the sub-pulses following path 360 will have itspolarization rotated to P, which passes straight through the polarizingpulse splitter, while the other sub pulses following path 362 areS-polarized and thus are reflected to form a combined pulse.

In one embodiment, the final pulse splitter 350E comprises anon-polarizing splitter and a mirror that is positioned to combine theenergy received from the delaying regions or from the prior splitter. Inthis case, the splitter will project part of the energy towards adesired point, transmit another part of the energy received towards thedesired point, and the mirror will direct the remaining amount of energytransmitted through the splitter to the same desired point. One willnote that the number of times the pulse is split and delayed may bevaried by adding pulse splitting type components and mirrors in theconfiguration as shown herein to achieve a desirable pulse duration anda desirable pulse profile. While FIG. 3A illustrates a pulse shaperdesign that utilizes four pulse delaying regions with splitters andmirrors, this configuration is not intended to be limiting as to thescope of the invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates an example of an energy versus time graph of varioussub-pulses that have passed through a two pulse delaying region pulseshaper, which is similar to the first two pulse delaying regions of thepulse shaper illustrated in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3B, the pulsetrain pattern 307 delivered to the input of the pulse shaper (FIG. 3A)has an individual pulse duration equal to t₁. In this case, pattern 307Ais the first pulse train, pattern 307B is the second pulse train,pattern 307C is the third pulse train, and pattern 307D is the fourthpulse train that exits the pulse shaper 306 of FIG. 3A. In general, theduration of each of the sub-pulses will be about t₁, since this propertyof the pulses of the original pattern 307 will remain relativelyunchanged due to the pulse shaping process illustrated in FIG. 3A.Referring to FIG. 3B, it follows that the pulses of pattern 307Atraveled the shortest distance and the pulses of pattern 307D will havetraveled the longest distance through the pulse shaper 306. In oneexample, the sum of the four patterns will deliver a composite energyprofile 312 with pulses that have duration t₂, which is longer than theduration t₁ of the initial pulse. The composite energy profile 312 willalso have a lower average energy per unit time than the original pulse307.

FIG. 3C illustrates a plot of the expected temperature profile of asurface region of a substrate exposed to pulse energy having the profile312 as a function of time. It should be noted that depending on thetransmission to reflection ratio of each of the selected splitters inthe system, the energy of the sub-pulses may be adjusted to deliver adesired pulse profile. For example, by selecting a more transmissive,rather than reflective, combination of splitters the profile of thecomposite energy profile 312 will have a higher starting energy thatwill drop off towards the end of the composite profile pulse 312. Itshould be noted that while FIG. 3B illustrates rectangular shaped pulsesthat have the same amplitude this is not intended to be limiting as tothe scope of the invention, since other pulse shapes may be used todeliver a composite energy profile 312 that has a more desirableprofile.

FIG. 3D schematically illustrates another embodiment of the presentinvention that is used to deliver a desirable pulse profile by utilizingtwo or more synchronized energy sources (e.g., laser sources 102A-D)with output routed through the pulse control module 106 and to pulseshaper 306, which are each discussed above in conjunction with FIGS.1-3C. In this configuration, the controller 112 synchronizes the outputof the laser sources 102A-D to form synchronized pulses 304 as input tothe pulse shaper 306 so that composite pulses 312 emerging from thepulse shaper 306 will have a desirable profile. The composite pulse 312may contain a composite of each of the sub-pulses created in the pulsestretcher assembly 306 for each of the synchronized pulses deliveredfrom each of the laser sources 102A-D. The profile, or shape, of thecomposite pulse 312 shown in FIG. 3C formed from sub-pulses 307A-D isnot intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention since anypulse profile can be used to provide an optimized anneal process.Alternate composite pulse shapes may be realized by changing thesynchronization of pulses, as illustrated in FIGS. 3E and 3F, which showa different synchronization of pulses and a different composite pulseshape 312 and temperature profile 311.

FIG. 3G schematically illustrates another embodiment of a pulse shaper320 showing a further technique for pulse shaping. In the pulse shaper320 of FIG. 3G, at least some of the reflectors are displaced from adatum 322 or 324 to vary the optical path of light through the pulseshaper 320. The displacement of a mirror may be set a desired distance“x” to achieve a certain temporal displacement for a sub-pulse.Typically the mirrors will be displaced in pairs, each mirror in a givenmirror pair having a nearly identical displacement from the datum. Thedisplacements of pairs of mirrors may naturally be different to achieveany desired pulse shape. In one embodiment, the displacement x₁ of afirst mirror pair is about 10 mm, the displacement x₂ of a second mirrorpair is about 7.5 mm, the displacement x₃ or a third mirror pair isabout 20 mm, and the displacement x₄ of a fourth mirror pair is about 15mm.

In another embodiment, all pulses emanating from a plurality of lasersmay be directed into a pulse shaper without passing through a combinerfirst. Optics may be used to bring the pulses into close physicalproximity such that they all strike the first splitter of the pulseshaper (e.g. 350A or 306A in FIGS. 3A and 3D). The pulses may bearranged in a configuration, for example a square configuration, havinga dimension less than a cross-sectional dimension of the first splitterof the pulse shaper, such that the pulses all travel through the firstsplitter.

Shaped pulses from the pulse shaping module 106 are routed into ahomogenizer 108. FIG. 4A is a schematic view of a homogenizer 400according to one embodiment. The homogenizer 108 of FIG. 1 may be thehomogenizer 400 of FIG. 4A. A beam integrator assembly 410 contains apair of micro-lens arrays 404 and 406 and a lens 408 that homogenize theenergy passing through this integrator assembly. It should be noted thatthe term micro-lens array, or fly's-eye lens, is generally meant todescribe an integral lens array that contains multiple adjacent lenses.As designed, the beam integrator assembly 410 generally works best usingan incoherent source or a broad partially coherent source whose spatialcoherence length is much smaller than a single micro-lens array'sdimensions. In short, the beam integrator assembly 410 homogenizes thebeam by overlapping magnified images of the micro-lens arrays at a planesituated at the back focal plane of the lens 408. The lens 408 may becorrected to minimize aberrations including field distortion.

The size of the image field is a magnified version of the shape of theapertures of the first microlens array, where the magnification factoris given by F/f₁ where f₁ is the focal length of the microlenses in thefirst micro-lens array 404 and F is the focal length of lens 408. In oneexample, a lens 408 that has a focal length of about 175 mm and amicro-lenses in the micro-lens array have a 4.75 mm focal length is usedto form an 11 mm square field image.

Although many different combinations for these components can be used,generally the most efficient homogenizers will have a first micro-lensarray 404 and second micro-lens array 406 that are identical. The firstmicro-lens array 404 and a second micro-lens array 406 are typicallyspaced a distance apart so that the energy density (Watts/mm²) deliveredto the first micro-lens array 404 is increased, or focused, on thesecond micro-lens array 406. This can cause damage, however, to thesecond micro-lens array 406 when the energy density exceeds the damagethreshold of the optical component and/or optical coating placed on theoptical components. Typically the second micro-lens array 406 is spaceda distance d₂ from the first micro-lens array 404 equal to the focallength of the lenslets in the first micro-lens array 404.

In one example, each the micro-lens arrays 404, 406 contains 7921micro-lenses (i.e., 89×89 array) that are a square shape and that havean edge length of about 300 microns. The lens 408, or Fourier lens, isgenerally used to integrate the image received from the micro-lensarrays 404, 406 and is spaced a distance d₃ from the second micro-lensarray 406.

In applications where coherent or partially coherent sources are used,various interference and diffraction artifacts can be problematic whenusing a beam integrator assembly 410, since they create high intensityregions, or spots, within the projected beam's field of view, which canexceed the damage threshold of the various optical components.Therefore, due to the configuration of the lenses or the interferenceartifacts, the useable lifetime of the various optical components in thebeam integrator assembly 410 and system has become a key design andmanufacturing consideration.

A random diffuser 402 may be placed in front of or within the beamhomogenizer assembly 400 so that the uniformity of outgoing energy A₅ isimproved in relation to the incoming energy A₁. In this configuration,the incoming energy A₁ is diffused by the placement of a random diffuser402 prior to the energy A₂, A₃ and A₄ being received and homogenized bythe first micro-lens array 404, second micro-lens array 406 and lens408, respectively. The random diffuser 402 will cause the pulse ofincoming energy (A₁) to be distributed over a wider range of angles (α₁)to reduce the contrast of the projected beam and thus improve thespatial uniformity of the pulse. The random diffuser 402 generallycauses the light passing through it to spread out so that the irradiance(W/cm²) of energy A₃ received by the second micro-lens array 406 is lessthan without the diffuser. The diffuser is also used to randomize thephase of the beam striking each micro-lens array. This additional randomphase improves the spatial uniformity by spreading out the highintensity spots observed without the diffuser. In general, the randomdiffuser 402 is narrow angle optical diffuser that is selected so thatit will not diffuse the received energy in a pulse at an angle greaterthan the acceptance angle of the lens that it is placed before.

In one example, the random diffuser 402 is selected so that thediffusion angle α₁ is less than the acceptance angle of the micro-lensesin the first micro-lens array 404 or the second micro-lens array 406. Inone embodiment, the random diffuser 402 comprises a single diffuser,such as a 0.5° to 5° diffuser that is placed prior to the firstmicro-lens array 404. In another embodiment, the random diffuser 402comprises two or more diffuser plates, such as 0.5° to 5° diffuserplates that are spaced a desired distance apart to further spreading outand homogenize the projected energy of the pulse. In one embodiment, therandom diffuser 402 may be spaced a distance d₁ away from the firstmicro-lens array 404 so that the first micro-lens array 404 can receivesubstantially all of the energy delivered in the incoming energy A₁.

FIG. 4B is a schematic view of a homogenizer 450 according to anotherembodiment. The homogenizer 108 of FIG. 1 may be the homogenizer 450 ofFIG. 4B. The homogenizer 450 is the same as the homogenizer 400, exceptin the following respects. Instead of using a random diffuser 402 toimprove uniformity of the outgoing energy, a third microlens array 412may be used.

Referring again to FIG. 1, energy from the homogenizer 108 is typicallyarranged in a pattern, such as a square or rectangular shape, thatapproximately fits an area to be annealed on the surface of a substrate.The processing and rearranging applied to the energy results in anenergy field having intensity that varies from an average value by nomore than about 15%, such as less than about 12%, for example less thanabout 8%. Random non-uniformities in intensity may be present throughoutthe energy field at various locations and are referred to hereinafter asthe “speckle pattern.” Near the edges of the energy field, however, moresignificant non-uniformities may persist due to various boundaryconditions throughout the apparatus. These edge non-uniformities may beremoved using an aperture member 116. The aperture member 116 istypically an opaque object having an opening through which the energymay pass in cross-section shaped like the opening.

FIG. 5A is a side view of an aperture member 500 according to oneembodiment. The aperture member 116 of FIG. 1 may be the aperture member500 of FIG. 5A. The aperture member 500 has a first member 502 that issubstantially transparent to selected forms of energy, such as light orlaser radiation having a selected wavelength. An energy blocking member504, which may be opaque or reflective, is formed over a portion of asurface of the first member 502 defining an opening 508 through whichenergy will pass in the shape of the opening 508. A second member 506 isdisposed over the first member 502 and the energy blocking member 504,covering the opening 508. The second member 506 is also substantiallytransparent to the energy to be transmitted through the aperture member500, and may be the same material as the first member 502. The edges ofthe aperture member 500 are enclosed by a covering 510 that ensuresparticulates do not enter the opening 508.

The aperture member 500 is positioned such that the energy blockingmember 504 is at a focal plane 512 of the energy incident on theaperture member 500, ensuring a precise truncation of the energy field.Because the opening 508 is positioned at the focal plane of the energy,any particles that collect in the opening, for example on the surface ofthe first member 502, cast shadows in the transmitted energy field thatlead to non-uniform processing of a substrate. Covering the opening 508with the second member 506 and enclosing the edges of the aperturemember 500 ensures that any particles adhering to the aperture member500 are far enough from the focal plane to be out of focus in the finalenergy field so that variation in intensity of the final energy fielddue to the shadows of the particles is reduced.

The first and second members 502 and 506 are typically made from thesame material, usually glass or quartz. The energy blocking member 504may be an opaque or reflective material, such as metal, white paint, ora dielectric mirror. The energy blocking member 504 may be formed andshaped, and the formed and shaped energy blocking member 504 applied tothe first member 502 using an appropriate adhesive, such as Canadabalsam. Alternately, the energy blocking member 504 may be deposited onthe first member 502 and then etched to provide the opening 508. Thesecond member 506 is typically applied to the energy blocking member 504using adhesive.

The covering 510 may be a material that is permeable or impermeable togases. The covering may be an adhesive or a hard material applied usingan adhesive. Alternately, the covering may be formed by melt-fusing theedges of the first and second members 502 and 506 with the edge of theenergy blocking member 504.

To avoid refractive effects of the aperture member 500, the side wallsof the opening 508, defined by an interior edge 514 of the energyblocking member 504, may be tapered, angled, or slanted to match thepropagation direction of photons emerging from the homogenizer 108.

FIG. 5B is a side view of an aperture member 520 according to anotherembodiment. The aperture member 116 of FIG. 1 may be the aperture member520 of FIG. 5B. The aperture member 520 is the same as the aperturemember 500 of FIG. 5A, except that the aperture member 520 has nocentral opening 508. The aperture member 520 comprises a transmissivemember 522 with the energy blocking member 504 embedded therein.Reducing the number of interfaces between different media in theaperture member 520 may reduce refractive effects. The interior edge 514of the energy blocking member 504 is shown tapered in the embodiment ofFIG. 5B, as described above in connection with FIG. 5A.

The aperture member 520 of FIG. 5B may be made by etching or grinding anannular shelf around a central dais of a first transmissive member,adhering an annular energy blocking member to the annular shelf, andthen adhering a second transmissive member to the energy blocking memberand the central dais of the first transmissive member, using anoptically inactive adhesive such as Canada balsam. Alternately, theenergy blocking member may be adhered to a first transmissive memberhaving no central dais, and the second transmissive member formed bydepositing a material over the energy blocking member and the exposedportion of the first transmissive member, filling the central openingwith transmissive material. Deposition of transmissive materials iswell-known in the art, and may be practiced using any known depositionor coating process.

Aperture members may vary in size. An aperture member having a smalleraperture may be positioned proximate an aperture member having a largeraperture to reduce the size of the transmitted energy field. The smalleraperture member may be removed again to utilize the larger aperture.Multiple aperture members having different sizes may be provided toallow changing the size of the energy field to anneal areas havingdifferent sizes. Alternately, a single aperture member may have avariable aperture size. Two rectangular channels may be formed in atransparent housing, and two pairs of opaque or reflective actuatedhalf-plates disposed in the rectangular channels such that a pair ofhalf-plates meets in a central portion of the transparent housing. Thepairs of half-plates may be oriented to move along orthogonal axes sothat a rectangular aperture of variable size may be formed by movingeach pair of half-plates closer together or further apart within therectangular channels.

The aperture members 500 and 520 may magnify or reduce the image of thelight passing through the aperture in any desired way. The aperturemembers may have magnification factor of 1:1, which is essentially nomagnification, or may reduce the image in size by a factor of betweenabout 1.1:1 and about 5:1, for example, about 2:1 or about 4:1.Reduction in size may be useful for some embodiments because the edgesof the imaged energy field may be sharpened by the size reduction.Magnification by a factor between about 1:1.1 and about 1:5, for exampleabout 1:2, may be useful in some embodiments to improve efficiency andthroughput by increasing coverage area of the imaged energy field.

The aperture members 500 and 520 may be moveable within the system 100.The opening 508 of the aperture member 500 and the transmissive member522 of the aperture member 520 are generally disposed at the focal plane512 of the energy incident on the aperture members 500 and 520. Theaperture members 500 and 520 may be moveable along an X axis and a Yaxis within the focal plane 512 (a Z axis, not shown, is perpendicularto the focal plane 512 and the X axis and Y axis (into or out from thepage) are parallel to the focal plane 512). A motor 530 capable ofmoving the aperture members 500 and 520 along the X axis and Y axiswithin the focal plane 512 is coupled to the aperture members 500 and520. The motor 530 may be an electric motor, such as a stepper motor orpiezoelectric motor, that is capable of moving the aperture members 500and 520 a predetermined distance along the X axis or Y axis, orcombinations thereof, within the focal plane 512. The system 100 mayfurther comprise an aperture controller 540 which controls the motor530. The aperture controller 540 may be any controller capable of beingprogrammed with a computer readable medium which may be configured tocontrol the movement of the aperture members 500 and 520 via the motor530. In certain embodiments, the aperture controller 540 may becommunicatively coupled with the substrate support 110 and thecontroller 112.

In one embodiment, the aperture members 500 or 520 may be moved in apattern, such as a grid pattern. The aperture members 500 or 520 maymove, or step, in the X axis “m” steps wherein the step size may be fromabout 10 um to about 100 um. The aperture members 500 or 520 may move inthe Y axis “n” steps wherein the step size may be from about 10 um toabout 100 um. After the aperture members 500 or 520 have completedmovement in the X axis and Y axis, light may be pulsed to the aperturemembers 500 or 520. Upon the pulse ending, the movement process mayrepeat until “m” steps of X and “n” steps of Y are completed. In theembodiment described above, “m” and “n” may be any number from 1 to 100,such as about 3 to 10. It is contemplated that the aperture members 500and 520 may be moved in any combination of directions so as to capturedifferent cross-sectional portions of the pulsed light. The aperturemembers 500 or 520 movement described herein may be synchronized withthe substrate support 110 movement that will be discussed below. Incertain embodiments, the step size of the aperture member 500 or 520movement corresponds to the step size of the substrate support movement110.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an imaging optic 118 receives the shaped,smoothed, and truncated energy field from the aperture member 116 andprojects it onto a substrate disposed on a work surface 120 of thesubstrate support 110. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an imaging system600 according to one embodiment. The imaging system 118 of FIG. 1 may bethe imaging system 600 of FIG. 6. The imaging system 118 has atransmitting module 602 and a detecting module 616. The transmittingmodule 602 has a first transmitting optic 610 and a second transmittingoptic 614, with a sampling optic 612 disposed between the first andsecond transmitting optics 610 and 614.

The sampling optic 612 has a reflective surface 618 optically coupled tothe substrate support and to the detecting module 616. Energy from theaperture member 116 enters the transmitting optic 602, passing throughthe first transmitting optic 610, the sampling optic 612, and the secondtransmitting optic 614 to illuminate a substrate disposed on the worksurface 120 of the substrate support 110. Energy reflected from thesubstrate travels back through the second transmitting optic 614 andreflects from the reflective surface 620 of the sampling optic 612. Thereflected energy is directed to the detecting optic 616.

The detecting optic 616 has a first steering optic 604, a secondsteering optic 606, and a detector 608. The first and second steeringoptics 604 and 606 are operable to position the energy field reflectedfrom the substrate in a desired position on the detector 608. Thisallows imaging of various parts of the energy field at the detector 608with increased precision. The detector 608 may be a photodiode array ora CCD matrix, allowing visualization of the energy field interactingwith the substrate. Markers on the substrate may be viewed using theimaging system 600 to facilitate alignment of the energy field withdesired structures on the substrate when the substrate is illuminated bythe energy field. Alternately, a constant low-intensity ambient lightsource may be provided to facilitate viewing the substrate through theimaging system 600 when the substrate is not illuminated by the energyfield. Venire adjustments may be made to the x, y, z, and θ positioningof the substrate based on observations using the imaging system 600 toachieve precise alignment and focus of the energy and the substrate forprocessing a first anneal region of the substrate. Subsequentpositioning is then automatically performed by the substrate support 110under direction of the controller 112.

Diagnostic instruments may be provided to indicate properties of asubstrate during annealing. The imaging module 118 or 600 may have oneor more temperature sensors 620 for indicating intensity of radiationemitted by the substrate as a function of temperature. A pyrometer maybe used for such purposes. The imaging module 118 or 600 may also haveone or more surface absorption monitor 622 for indicating a change inabsorptivity of the substrate. By measuring an intensity of reflectedlight in the wavelengths used to anneal the substrate, the surfaceabsorption monitor 622 signals a change in state from a more reflectivestate to a more absorptive state, and vice versa. A reflectometer may beused for such purposes. In some embodiments, providing two or moretemperature sensors and two or more surface absorption monitors mayallow comparison of two or more readings for improved accuracy.

While two diagnostic instruments 620 and 622 are shown in the imagingmodule 600 of FIG. 6, any number of diagnostic instruments may bedisposed in a position to monitor condition of the substrate. In someembodiments, an acoustic detector or a photoacoustic detector, or both,may be disposed to detect acoustic effects of annealing energy on asubstrate. Acoustic response from the substrate may be used to indicatea change in state of the substrate material, such as a phase change. Inone embodiment, a listening device may detect melting of a portion ofthe substrate.

Thermal energy is coupled into a substrate disposed on a work surface120 of a substrate support 110 using methods disclosed herein. Thethermal energy is developed by applying electromagnetic energy at anaverage intensity between about 0.2 J/cm² and about 1.0 J/cm² tosuccessive portions of the surface of a substrate in short pulses ofduration between about 1 nsec and about 100 nsec, such as between about5 nsec and about 50 nsec, for example about 10 nsec. A plurality of suchpulses may be applied to each portion of the substrate, with a durationbetween the pulses between about 500 nsec and about 1 msec, such asbetween about 1 μsec and about 500 μsec, for example about 100 μsec, toallow complete dissipation of the thermal energy through the substratebefore the next pulse arrives. The energy field typically covers an areaof between about 0.1 cm² and about 10.0 cm², for example about 6 cm²,resulting in a power delivery of between about 0.2 MW and about 10 GWwith each pulse. In most applications, the power delivered with eachpulse will be between about 10 MW and about 500 MW. The power densitydelivered is typically between about 2 MW/cm² and about 1 GW/cm², suchas between about 5 MW/cm² and about 100 MW/cm², for example about 10MW/cm². The energy field applied in each pulse has spatial standarddeviation of intensity that is no more than about 4%, such as less thanabout 3.5%, for example less than about 3.0%, of the average intensity.

Delivery of the high power and uniformity energy field mostly desiredfor annealing of substrates may be accomplished using an energy source102 with a plurality of lasers emitting radiation readily absorbed bythe substrate to be annealed. In one aspect, laser radiation having awavelength of about 532 nm is used, based on a plurality offrequency-doubled Nd:YAG lasers. Four such lasers having individualpower output about 50 MW may be used together for suitable annealing ofa silicon substrate.

Pulses of energy may be formed by interrupting generation or propagationof a beam of energy. A beam of energy may be interrupted by disposing afast shutter across an optical path of the beam. The shutter may be anLCD cell capable of changing from transparent to reflective in 10 nsecor less on application of a voltage. The shutter may also be a rotatingperforated plate wherein size and spacing of the perforations arecoupled with a selected rate of rotation to transmit energy pulseshaving a chosen duration through the openings. Such a device may beattached to the energy source itself or spaced apart from the energysource. An active or passive q-switch, or a gain switch may be used. APockels cell may also be positioned proximate to a laser to form pulsesby interrupting a beam of laser light emitted by the laser. Multiplepulse generators may be coupled to an energy source to form periodicsequences of pulses having different durations, if desired. For example,a q-switch may be applied to a laser source and a rotating shutterhaving a periodicity similar to that of the q-switch may be positionedacross the optical path of the pulses generated by the q-switched laserto form a periodic pattern of pulses having different durations.

Self-correlation of the pulses is reduced by increasing the number ofspatial and temporal modes of the pulses. Correlation, either spatial ortemporal, is the extent to which different photons are related in phase.If two photons of the same wavelength are propagating through space inthe same direction and their electric field vectors point the samedirection at the same time, those photons are temporally correlated,regardless of their spatial relationship. If the two photons (or theirelectric field vectors) are located at the same point in a planeperpendicular to the direction of propagation, those two photons arespatially correlated, regardless of any temporal phase relationship.

Correlation is related to coherence, and the terms are used almostinterchangeably. Correlation of photons gives rise to interferencepatterns that reduce uniformity of the energy field. Coherence length isdefined as a distance beyond which coherence or correlation, spatial ortemporal, falls below some threshold value.

Photons in pulses can be temporally decorrelated by splitting a pulseinto a number of sub-pulses using a succession of splitters, and routingeach sub-pulse along a different path with a different optical pathlength, such that the difference between any two optical path lengths isgreater than a coherence length of the original pulse. This largelyensures that initially correlated photons likely have different phaseafter the different path lengths due to the natural decline in coherencewith distance travelled. For example, Nd:YAG lasers and Ti:sapphirelasers typically generate pulses having a coherence length of the orderof a few millimeters. Dividing such pulses and sending parts of eachpulse along paths having length differences more than a few millimeterswill result in temporal decorrelation. Sending sub-pulses alongmulti-reflective paths with different lengths is one technique that maybe used. Sending sub-pulses along multi-refractive paths with differenteffective lengths defined by different refractive indices is anothertechnique. The pulse shaping modules described in connection with FIGS.3A, 3D, and 3G may be used for temporal decorrelation of pulses.

Spatial decorrelation may be achieved by creating an energy field from apulse and overlapping portions of the energy field. For example,portions of an energy field may be separately imaged onto the same areato form a spatially decorrelated image. This largely ensures that anyinitially correlated photons are spatially separated. In one example, asquare energy field may be divided into a checkerboard-style 8×8sampling of square portions, and each square portion imaged onto a fieldthe same size as the original energy field such that all the imagesoverlap. A higher number of overlapping images decorrelates the energymore, resulting in a more uniform image. The homogenizers 400 and 450 ofFIGS. 4A and 4B may be useful in spatially decorrelating pulses.

A laser pulse imaged after the decorrelation operations described abovegenerally has a cross-section with a uniform energy intensity. Dependingon the exact embodiment, the cross-sectional energy intensity of apulsed energy field treated according to the above processes may have astandard deviation of about 3.0% or less, such as about 2.7% or less,for example about 2.5%. As described above, the energy intensity variesacross the pulsed energy field resulting in the speckle pattern. An edgeregion of the energy field will exhibit a decaying energy intensity thatmay decay by 1/e along a dimension that is less than about 10% of adimension of the energy field, such as less than about 5% of thedimension of the energy field, for example less than about 1% of theenergy field. The edge region may be truncated using an aperture, suchas the aperture members 500 and 520 of FIGS. 5A and 5B, or may beallowed to illuminate a substrate outside a treatment zone, for examplein a kurf space between device areas on a substrate.

If the energy field is truncated, an aperture member is typicallypositioned across the optical path of the pulses to trim the non-uniformedge regions. To achieve clean truncation of the image, the aperture islocated near a focal plane of the energy field. Refractive effects ofthe aperture interior edge may be minimized by tapering the apertureinterior edge to match a direction of propagation of photons in thepulse. Multiple removable aperture members having different aperturesizes and shapes may be used to change the size and/or shape of theaperture by inserting or removing the aperture member having the desiredsize and/or shape. Alternately, a variable aperture member may be used.

An energy field may be directed toward a portion of a substrate toanneal the substrate. The energy field may be aligned, if desired, withstructures such as alignment marks on the substrate surface by viewingthe substrate surface along the optical path of the energy field.Reflected light from the substrate may be captured and directed toward aviewing device, such as a camera or CCD matrix. A reflecting surface,such as a one-way mirror, as in the imaging system 600 of FIG. 6, may bedisposed along the optical path of the energy field to capture thereflected light.

Thermal state of the substrate may be monitored by viewing radiationemitted, reflected, or transmitted by the substrate during processing.Radiation emitted by the substrate indicates temperature of thesubstrate. Radiation reflected or transmitted by the substrate indicatesthe absorptivity of the substrate, which in turn signals a change in thephysical structure of the substrate from a reflective to an absorptivestate and vice versa. Accuracy of the signals from such devices may beimproved by comparing the results using multiple devices.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the substrate support 110 has a work surface120 upon which a substrate may be disposed. A substrate disposed on thework surface 120 of the substrate support 110 generally containsfeatures which are exposed to energy which is provided from the system100. Energy, such as laser light, is provided through the imaging optic118 towards the substrate support 100.

FIG. 7A is a schematic drawing of an energy field 702 with an aperturemember 116, such as aperture member 500, having an opening 508 (or theaperture member 520 having the transmissive region 522 depending uponwhich aperture member described in the above embodiments) capturing aportion of the energy field 702. The energy field 702, such as laserlight with a generally uniform cross sectional energy distribution, hassome degree of non-uniformity as described above and which isschematically represented by the speckle pattern 704. The aperturemember 116 body (not shown) truncates all light from the energy field702 not propagating through the opening 508. The opening 508 of theaperture member 116 selects a portion, or image, of the energy field 702which will propagate through the imaging optic 118 to a substratedisposed on the work surface 120 of the substrate support 110.

The aperture member 116 may be disposed at a first position 706 suchthat the opening 508 captures a first image of the energy field 702during a first laser pulse. After the first laser pulse has terminated,the aperture member 116 is then moved by the aperture motor 530 (SeeFIGS. 5A and 5B) to a second position 708. A second laser pulse isprovided and the opening 508 of the aperture member 116 captures asecond image of the energy field 702.

FIG. 7B is a schematic depicting a relationship of movement between theaperture member 116 and the substrate support 110. The aperture member116, imaging optics 118, and substrate support 110 are provided in theoptical path 715 of the energy field 702. The aperture motor 530 and asubstrate support motor 730 are provided to move the aperture 116 andsubstrate support 110 respectively, along the X axis and Y axis whichare each perpendicular to the optical path 715 of the energy field 702.The X axis and Y axis are parallel to the focal plane 512 (See FIGS. 5Aand 5B), as such, the movement along the X axis and Y axis may behorizontal within the focal plane 512. As described above, the aperturemember 116 may be moved to capture different images of the energy field702 for subsequent pulses of laser light. In a related embodiment, thesubstrate support 110 is moved in a manner that corresponds to themovement of the aperture member 116. The aperture member 116 disposed ata first position 706 captures a first image of the energy field 702during a first laser pulse. The aperture member 116 may then be moved toa second position 708 to capture a second image of the energy field 702before a second pulse of laser light is provided. The movement of theaperture member is effectuated by the aperture motor 530 which iscoupled to the aperture member 116 and communicatively coupled to thecontroller 112. All movement of the aperture member 116 is typicallyperformed within the focal plane 512 (parallel to the focal plane 512)perpendicular to the optical path 715 of the energy field 702. As such,movement is made along the X axis, Y axis, or combinations thereof tocapture different images of the energy field 702. The image created bythe aperture member 116 passes through the imaging optics 118 before theimage is available at a substrate disposed on the substrate support 110.

In one embodiment, the substrate support 110 is moved at the same timeas the aperture member 116 between pulses of laser light. The substratesupport 110 may be moved in directions opposite the movement of theaperture member 116 to account for image displacement via the imagingoptics 118. The movement of the substrate support 110 is effectuated bythe substrate support motor 730, which may be a stepper motor orpiezoelectric motor, which provides movement along the X axis and Yaxis, or combinations thereof, which are perpendicular to the opticalpath 715 of the energy field 702. The substrate support motor 730 may becommunicatively coupled to the controller 112 which may synchronize themovement of the aperture member 116 and the substrate support 110 viasignals provided to the aperture motor 530 and the substrate supportmotor 730.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, the aperture member is provided at afirst position 706. The aperture motor 530 may receive a signal from thecontroller 112 which causes the aperture 116 to move a first distance inthe Y direction. The aperture motor 530 may also receive a signal fromthe controller 112 which causes the aperture 116 to move a seconddistance in the X direction. It is contemplated that the movement in theX and Y directions may be performed simultaneously, concurrently, orsequentially. In this embodiment, the substrate support 110 moves in amanner that corresponds to the movement of the aperture member 116 sothat substantially the same area of the substrate may be illuminated bya pulse passing through the imaging optics 118. The substrate supportmotor 730 may receive a signal from the controller which causes thesubstrate support 110 to move a first distance in the Y direction whichis opposite the direction moved by the aperture member 116. Thesubstrate support motor 730 may then receive a signal from thecontroller 112 which causes the substrate support 110 to move a seconddistance in the X direction which is opposite the direction moved by theaperture member 116. The distances moved by the substrate support 110may be equal to the distances moved by the aperture member 116, and maybe in opposite directions if the imaging optics 118 have an imagereversing property. The movement of the aperture member 116 results inthe aperture member 116 at a second position 708. The movement of thesubstrate support 110 results in the substrate support 110 at a secondposition 710. It is contemplated that all movement of the aperturemember 116 and the substrate support 110 is typically performed betweenlaser pulses. As such, the aperture member 116 and substrate support 110are usually stationary during each laser pulse. It should be noted,however, that the aperture member 116 and substrate support 110 may bemoved during application of a single pulse, if desired.

Although the aperture member 116 and the substrate support 110 may movein opposite directions, the movement is typically coordinated such thatthe same area on the substrate is exposed to the image. It iscontemplated that the substrate may be exposed to multiple laser pulses,such as between about 1 to about 100,000 laser pulses, such as betweenabout 1 to about 100 laser pulses, such as about 50 laser pulses. Thesame area of the substrate is exposed to the image, which may contain adifferent portion of the energy field 702 from successive pulses.Capturing different portions of the energy field also captures differentportions of the speckle pattern which exists in the energy field 702.Imaging different portions of the speckle pattern on the same area ofthe substrate further reduces processing non-uniformity at the substrateby illuminating each area of the substrate with a plurality of differentrandom intensity patterns. It is also contemplated that various otherelements within the system 100 may be altered and/or moved to change thespeckle pattern to further increase uniformity of the energy field 702at the substrate. For example, various optical elements of thehomogenizer 108 may be altered and/or moved to change the specklepattern.

FIG. 8 depicts a method 800 of thermally processing a substrate. Themethod 800 may be performed using the apparatuses described herein. Themethod 800 operates at operation 810 by providing an aperture member ata first position. The aperture member at the first position captures animage of an energy field which will be imaged on a substrate to performthermal processing on the substrate. The image captured by the aperturemember in the first position may capture a first portion of a specklepattern or another non-uniformity pattern on the energy field. Atoperation 820, a substrate support is provided at a first position. Thefirst position of the substrate support corresponds to the firstposition of the aperture member. A first laser pulse is provided atoperation 830. The laser pulse intensity, duration, and coherency may bedetermined by the apparatus described above in connection with FIGS.1-4.

After the first laser pulse has terminated, the aperture member may bemoved in a first direction to a second position at operation 840. Thesubstrate support may be moved in a direction opposite the firstdirection of the aperture member to a second position at operation 850.It is contemplated that the movement of the aperture member and thesubstrate support may be performed sequentially, concurrently, orsimultaneously. The substrate support may be moved in a directionopposite the movement of the aperture member to account for thedisplacement of the image through an imaging optics if the imaging optichas an image reversing property. Then, a second laser pulse is providedat operation 860. The image captured by the aperture member in thesecond position captures a different portion of the energy field andspeckle pattern. The substrate support in the second position ensuresthe same area of the substrate is exposed to the image of the secondlaser pulse as was exposed to the image of the first laser pulse.Operation 870 provides for repeating operations 810-860 until a desiredthermal profile on the substrate has been achieved. If operations810-860 are repeated, one embodiment provides that each successiveposition of the aperture member and substrate support are different fromeach preceding position. Different positions allow for differentportions of the energy field and speckle pattern to be imaged on thesame area of the substrate which reduces non-uniformity of the energyfield at the substrate. As a result, more predictable and improvedannealing characteristics may be realized.

A thermal processing apparatus may have a source of electromagneticenergy operable to produce pulses of electromagnetic energy, an opticalsystem comprising a pulse combiner, a pulse shaper, a homogenizer, andan aperture member positioned to receive pulses of electromagneticenergy from the source, a substrate support operable to move a substratewith respect to the optical system, and an imaging system operable toview the substrate along an optical path of the optical system.

An apparatus for combining pulses of electromagnetic energy may have afirst energy input, a second energy input, a first optic for imparting afirst property to the first energy, a second optic for imparting asecond property to the second energy, a selecting surface that reflectsor transmits energy based on the first property and the second property,a steering optic for steering the first energy to a first location on afirst side of the selecting surface and the second energy to a secondlocation on a second side of the selecting surface opposite the firstside of the selecting surface, wherein the first location and the secondlocation are aligned, and a diagnostic module optically coupled to theselecting surface.

A thermal processing system may have a plurality of laser energysources, each having an active q-switch coupled to an electronic timer,at least two combiners optically coupled to the laser energy sources,each combiner having a selecting optic, the selecting optic having aselecting surface, an optical system to direct light from the laserenergy sources to opposite sides of the selecting surface, and ahomogenizer comprising at least three microlens arrays.

A substrate processing system may have a source of electromagneticenergy, an optical system for focusing the electromagnetic energy, andan aperture member having a reflective portion embedded therein, thereflective portion having an opening through which the electromagneticenergy projects, a surface of the reflective portion positioned at afocal plane of the electromagnetic energy.

A substrate may be processed by directing a field of electromagneticenergy toward a portion of the substrate, the field of electromagneticenergy comprising light from a plurality of lasers that has beencombined by passing through two sides of a selecting surface of acombining optic, temporally decorrelated, spatially decorrelated, andpassed through a reflector optically coupled to the substrate.

A substrate may also be processed by directing a field ofelectromagnetic energy toward a portion of the substrate, the fieldcomprising pulsed light from two or more lasers, detecting a temporalshape of the field using a photodiode, detecting an energy content ofthe field using a pyroelectric detector, adjusting a pulse timing of oneor more of the lasers based on the temporal shape detected by thephotodiode, and attenuating one or more of the lasers based on theenergy content of the field detected by the pyroelectric detector.

A substrate may also be processed by forming an energy field having aspatial standard deviation of intensity non-uniformity no more thanabout 3% and an energy content of at least about 0.2 J/cm² by combiningpolarized light from two or more lasers and decorrelating the lighttemporally and spatially, directing the energy field toward a firstportion of the substrate surface in a pulse, moving the substrate, anddirecting the energy field toward a second portion of the substratesurface.

A substrate may also be processed by directing a shaped field ofelectromagnetic energy toward the substrate through a reflectoroptically coupled to the substrate, detecting an alignment of thesubstrate and the energy field by viewing light reflected from thesubstrate using the reflector, and adjusting the alignment of thesubstrate with the energy field.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of thermally processing asubstrate, comprising: positioning a substrate at a first position;identifying a treatment zone of the substrate; directing a first pulseof annealing energy through an aperture member at a second position tothe treatment zone; moving the substrate to a third position differentfrom the first position; moving the aperture member to a fourth positiondifferent from the second position, wherein the second position and thefourth position are located within a focal plane of the annealingenergy; and directing a second pulse of annealing energy through theaperture member at the fourth position to the treatment zone.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the substrate is moved in a first directionduring the moving the substrate to the third position.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the aperture member is moved in a second directionduring the moving the aperture member to the fourth position.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the second direction is opposite the firstdirection.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the moving the substrate tothe third position and the moving the aperture member to the fourthposition are performed simultaneously.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe moving the substrate to the third position and the moving theaperture member to the fourth position are performed consecutively. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment zone is exposed to a firstenergy profile during the first pulse of annealing energy and a secondenergy profile during the second pulse of annealing energy, the firstenergy profile and the second energy profile having different specklepatterns.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein an imaging optic is disposedwithin a propagation path of the annealing energy between the first andthird positions and the second and fourth positions.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein images at the first position and the third position aremagnified at the second position and the fourth position.
 10. A methodof thermally processing a substrate, comprising: positioning a substratesupport at a first position in a propagation path of a laser;positioning an aperture member at a second position in the propagationpath of the laser, wherein imaging optics are positioned in thepropagation path between the substrate support and the aperture member;directing a first pulse of laser energy through the aperture membertowards the substrate support; moving the substrate support to a thirdposition different from the first position; moving the aperture memberto a fourth position different from the second position, wherein themoving the substrate support and the moving the aperture member are ofequal magnitude in opposite directions, and wherein the second positionand the fourth position are located within a focal plane of the laserenergy; and directing a second pulse of laser energy through theaperture member towards the substrate support.
 11. The method of claim10, wherein the moving the substrate support and the moving the aperturemember are performed simultaneously.
 12. The method of claim 10, whereinthe moving the substrate support and the moving the aperture member areperformed consecutively.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein thesubstrate support and the aperture member are moved in directionsperpendicular to the propagation path of the laser.
 14. The method ofclaim 10, wherein a laser image at the second position has a firstspeckle pattern different than a second speckle pattern of the laserimage at the fourth position.
 15. A method of thermally processing asubstrate, comprising: generating a first laser pulse; directing thefirst laser pulse through an aperture member disposed within a focalplane of the first laser pulse to define a first image with a firstspeckle pattern; directing the first laser pulse through imaging optics;positioning a treatment zone of a substrate to receive the first image;stopping generation of the first laser pulse; moving the aperture membera first magnitude in a first direction; moving the substrate the firstmagnitude in a second direction opposite the first direction; generatinga second laser pulse; directing the second laser pulse through theaperture member disposed within a focal plane of the second laser pulseto define a second image with a second pattern different from the firstspeckle pattern; and directing the second laser pulse through theimaging optics, wherein the treatment zone of the substrate ispositioned to receive the second image.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the moving the aperture member and the moving the substrate areperformed after stopping generation of the first laser pulse and beforegeneration of the second laser pulse.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the moving the aperture member and the moving the substrate areperformed simultaneously.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the movingthe aperture member and the moving the substrate are performedconsecutively.